Despite vowing to myself a long time ago I would try and avoid the retro "album live show" phenomenon that has seemingly ruled the live circuit for a good few years now, I've succumbed on occasions. One turned out to be one of the greatest gigs of my life (Spiritualized), another was a nice blast […]
I’ve looked at this kind of thing before, but from a different viewpoint (/024/Changing Direction), where bands changed direction decisively for what they would likely protest is “artistic reasons”. I’m taking a different tack this week, and it is inspired by a few things (like many of these posts, they are frequently in the works […]
I was invited to DJ for the band System:FX at their EP launch show last night. Here’s my set.
During my recent Depeche Mode live review, I noted that they were one of those bands that I’d been waiting a long, long time to see, and indeed, over the past few years, I’ve made considerable inroads into a long list of similar bands. Particular shows of note included Laibach at the Tate Modern last […]
Usually, I guess, when you emigrate to the other side of the world, and start a new life 10,500 miles from your home city, continuing your existing band/musical project may not be high on the list of priorities as you settle down. But Ed Oxime has had other ideas after doing exactly that, with a […]
Into a new month, so time for my usual roundup of great tracks from the past month.
Sometimes the most interesting gigs, the ones that give you a new perspective, are not in large venues, or at public gigs, but at small events that you weren't even sure you were attending until late on. As happened here, with a Thee Faction show that happened to be a member of the band's birthday, […]
I think that most of us that listen to a lot of music, and have been in one “scene” or another have a bucket list of bands that they simply have to see at some point or another. I’m no exception, and in my incessant gig-going in recent years, I’ve cleared many of the bands […]
I’ve had this on my “to do” list of Tuesday Tens for about two years, but to be honest, I’ve been awaiting the right moment to use it. But with a new (rather lacklustre) DM album, the O2 shows this week (where I finally see them live after years of waiting), and an intriguing new […]
The last gig of a bit of a frantic period at the end of April into early May, before a couple of weeks off from gigging, this was a hastily arranged, last minute attendance. I had a ticket for the A&P show earlier in the week, but the announcement of this show allowed me to […]
Nearly ten years since comeback album The Greater Wrong of the Right, and thirteen years since their return from the hiatus/collapse with the legendary Doomsday show, Skinny Puppy are back with their fourth album since the reformation, and after a string of ultimately disappointing albums that have seen them, at best treading water or even […]
My return to DJing in Leeds after four years.
Time again to delve into an area I’ve touched upon before but in different ways. Back in the distant past I’ve looked at songs about space (/Tuesday Ten/079), and robots (/Tuesday Ten/063), but remarkably I’ve never looked in general at science-fiction in music. So, time to right the wrong, and go boldly beyond…
Since last year, and her debut UK show that I also covered here, Chelsea Wolfe has, on the evidence of this show and the apparently well-received tour across the country, significantly increased her fanbase in the UK. So, after a much smaller gig at The Old Blue Last in Shoreditch last May, this time it […]
I wasn't even meant to be at this gig. Initially – and indeed some time ago – I had bought a ticket to see Author & Punisher the same evening, after failing to get a ticket in the now-familiar scrum for a gig that raised as much interest as this. But, thanks to a message […]
So…I’ve looked at the best gigs, live venues, and gigs at the London Astoria, bands at Infest, bands I’ve *not* seen live…but I’ve never had a look at live albums, somehow, as my girlfriend pointed out last week.
The last month has been a really busy one, and despite attending a number of gigs in that period, I’ve not had the chance to get my thoughts on online for most of them so far. So – as I’m never going to be able to catch up if I don’t do this – here, […]
First post in a while, yep, been really busy again. On schedule, mind, here is this month’s ten tracks you should hear.
Autonomy came to an end after nine years, and I returned to DJ one more time.
Despite what the British music press sometimes might have you believe, Britpop did not start and end with endless indie bands pillaging the sixties for their guitar riffs and songs. The odd band transcended that mere idea, of course (two of which I’ve seen again in recent months: Suede and Pulp), but more so than […]
